Half to eichaed oehlhey



(No Model.)

V. LOOS.

TOY BUILDING BLOCK.

- No. 370,958. Patented 001'... 4,-1-887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

VINOENZ LOOS, OF OLBERNHAU, SAXONY, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO RICHARD OEHLHEY, OF SAME PLACE.

TOY BUILDING-BLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 370,958, dated October l, 1887.

Application filed June 14, 1886. Serial No. 205.116. (No model.) Patented in England May 20,1866, No. 6,774.

To all whom, i2? may concern:

Be it known that I, VINOENZ Loos, of the town of Olbernhau, Saxony, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Building-Blocks, (for which a patent was applied for in England on the 20th of May, 1886, No. 6,774,) and of which I de clare the following to be a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in IO toy building-blocks, by means of which the separate blocks can be connected with each other in such a manner that portable structures can be formed of them.

Instead of the ordinary loose blocks of cu- J bical form which are placed beside and upon each other, the building-block, according to my invention, consists of small boards and blocks of various forms, so that portable structures may be formed which take the shape of difi'erent objects and articles, the object of the invention being the instruct-ion of achild while at play and the awakening and promoting of his innate powers of intuition.

Figurelis the elevation, and Fig. 2 the crosssection, of one of my toy blocks. Fig. 3 is the elevation, and Fig. 4 the cross-section, of one of the smaller blocks. Fig. 5 is an edge view, Fig. 6 an elevation, and Fig. 7 a cross-section, of a shorter and broader block. Fig. 8 is the elevation, and Fig. 9 the edge View, of one of the connecting-rails.

The block a is on each of its four sides provided with a groove extending its full length, while the block 0 is provided with the same groove on the two narrow sides only.

The small board (I may be of any suitable shape or size, and may have the slots, as shown. The body of the block I) has no grooves; but, like the blocks a and 0, its ends are provided with cross-shaped recesses or mortises. Now, if it is intended to construct or build a toy house, the blocks a and'b form the beams, pillars, and posts, while the boards (I serve as a filling. A house constructed or built in this manner forms a good imitation of the object it represents, and has, moreover, the great advantage of being firmly connected, and consequently portable, so that it may be used for various purposes, such as a bird- 50 cage, 850. Not only structures or buildings,

but many other articles of daily use, may be formed or built of the blocks, according to the age and degree of education of the child.

In order to instruct and teach a child, all kinds of objects and articles can be formed, such as letters, knives, combs, spades, &c., the small boards forming, for instance, the blade in the knife, the teeth in a comb, the arms, head, and legs in human figures, and heads and legs in figures of animals.

For children of a more advanced age the toy building-block afifords a still greater field for a more independent employment, as the small boards (Z may be replaced or substituted by i'retwork, so that boys, for instance, can make the ornamental parts of birdcages, Swiss cottages, 8:c., themselves. The grooves in the blocks a b c, are intended to receive the boards, which are of the thickness of veneer, or of the thickness generally used for fretwork.

I am aware that a United States patent has been granted to Louis Schmetzer, of the German Empire, under No. 171,533, for toy building-blocks,andIdisclaimeverything described 7 in said patent. Schmetzer shows and describes a toy block provided with a large number of projecting quadrangular prisms formed by two sets of grooves crossing each other at right angles, so that the said block can be employed So as the body part of toy figures, in order-to euable the parts to be inclined to the right or left or made to project backward or forward.

Loos, Serial No. 205,1l6,shows and describes toy building-blocks of quadratic or quadrangu- 2J5 lar cross-section,with lateral grooves and crossshaped recesses at their ends for receiving small boards, frctwork, and such like. The object of the building-blocks of Loos is not to make human or animal figures, but to construct firmly connected, and consequently portable, toy structures or buildings.

I am further aware that a- United States patent has been granted to Charles C. J ohnson, No. 129,960, dated July 30, 1872, for 5 building blocks for toy houses, and I dis-' claim everything described in said patent.

The chief feature of the invention of Loos, Serial No. 205,116, is the cross-shaped form caused by the recesses for the boards; and all four sides of the posts being grooved, the erection of toy buildings and compartments of sameare greatly facilitated, whereas Johnson in no case uses more than two grooves, as will be seen by referring to his drawings in comparison with Figs. 2, 4, and 7 of the drawing to the application of Loos, Serial No. 205,116, dated June 14, 1886. For instance, when posts as represented by Johnson (last figure of drawings) are employed, it would be impossible to add any other room or fencing, whereas the posts, as shown in the drawings of Loos, Serial No. 205,116, Fig. 2, being provided on all sides with grooves, can be readily applied for such said and other similar purposes.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is- A toy building-block for constructing firmlyconnected and consequently portable structures or buildings, consisting of the buildingblocks a b c, of quadratic or rectangular crosssection, which said blocks are provided with my name in the presence of two subscribing 0 witnesses.

vINonN'Z Loos.

\Vitnesses:

WILLIAM R. MATTHEs, CARL AUG. ORSLEPF. 

